ATLANTA — Tuesday marks Maternal Health Awareness Day, and as advocates gather at the Georgia capitol to rally for solutions, lawmakers and state leaders are working behind the scenes to tackle the crisis.
"We can all agree that we want healthy moms," Park Cannon, a Georgia Representative, said. "We want healthy babies, and we got to do it right now."
Georgia has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, and disparities continue. Black mothers in Georgia are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white mothers.
Cannon, who hosted a hearing on the issue earlier this month, said her Democratic colleagues are in the process of crafting two pieces of legislation that will offer support to Georgia moms and focus on early intervention.
While the bills have not yet been filed, Cannon said one proposal aims to create new cardiometabolic units, part of an effort to reach women at high risk of cardiac complications. Cardiac issues were found to be the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in Georgia from 2018-2020.
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"What we really want is a cardiometabolic unit that can deal with some of the cardiovascular issues or coronary issues," Cannon said. "We have looked at this legislation, and we think that it could get some easy bipartisan support to create some of these units that are accessible in hospitals across Georgia."
The second proposal will center around a postpartum mood screening for moms, Cannon shared, available prior to the typical 6-week postpartum checkup.
"It is a set of questions that are diagnostic that tells you 'is this postpartum OCT? Is this postpartum depression?'" Cannon said, adding the tool aims to help women figure out the next steps for care.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Department of Public Health is also seeking legislative support, specifically $1 million in funding to expand the department's home visit pilot program launched last year.
The program focuses on improving access to care by employing community health workers to monitor moms in rural areas and catch warning signs early. Of Geogia's 159 counties, 82 have no OB/GYN physicians.
"The excitement across the counties is shared," Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of DPH, told lawmakers last week during the appropriations hearing. "Because they're seeing this can make a difference."
While the pilot program covered 21 counties in rural south and north Georgia during its first year, additional funding would expand the program into another 13 counties.
"I think this is the cornerstone of what can be our maternal mortality prevention," Toomey said. "Because it addresses all the issues you've heard about."
As part of its advocacy efforts, Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia (HMHBGA) will hold a community rally on Jan. 23 at the Georgia State Capitol Liberty Plaza on Washington Steet SW from 3 to 5 p.m.